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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — money
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rock — a stone
  7. row — a line
  8. court — of law
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rock — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — the underground
  15. charge — a price
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. capital — a city
  18. tube — a container
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. charge — in control
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com